Stories that linger.
Histories that edure.

Discover stories where buried histories, family secrets, and the shadows of the past refuse to stay forgotten.

Latest Release!

The Bones of Blackwater

She never expected the truth to lie so close to home...

When archaeologist Nora Hale uncovers the remains of a child beneath a threatened historic property, the discovery draws her into a mystery that began in 1873—and a family history more closely connected to her own than she realizes.

Featured Characters

✦ The past is never truly buried ✦ The Bones of Blackwater is available now ✦ Enter the world of Hartwell ✦ Discover the story ✦

Coming Soon . . .

The Shadow
Bones of Blackwater

The bones beneath Blackwater tell a different story this time. In this darker reimagining, familiar choices fracture, buried motives surface, and Hartwell’s past unfolds along a far more dangerous path.

The Children of St. Agatha's

Nora returns to Hartwell for another project and uncovers the buried history of St. Agatha’s and the children who passed through its doors. As she begins searching for answers about her mother’s disappearance, whispers of the Merritt legacy resurface—though what, or who, may have endured remains unclear.

The Shadow
Children of St. Agatha's

In this darker path through St. Agatha’s, Nora uncovers a version of the past shaped by different choices and more dangerous secrets. But the deeper she digs, the more the Merritt legacy—and her mother’s disappearance—threaten to collide.

Enter Blackwater Bootworks.

Featured Excerpt:
What the Factory Discarded

After a boy is injured on the factory floor, Benji is ordered to carry away what remains. From the shadows, Eliza watches—and begins to understand what Blackwater refuses to account for.

Testimonial Slider
“Beautifully detailed and completely immersive, with a compelling story and authentic, believable characters.”
– Laura B.
“Compelling, immersive, and so chilling that one revealing scene gave me a physical shiver—a reaction I’ve never had while reading before.”
– Rose P.
“Fast-paced, hard to put down, and deeply satisfying—a compelling mystery that asks how much of history is truth, and how many stories remain buried and untold.”
– Hannah O.
let currentIndex = 0; const slides = document.querySelectorAll('.testimonial-slide'); function showSlide(index) { slides.forEach((slide, i) => { slide.classList.toggle('active', i === index); }); } function prevTestimonial() { currentIndex = (currentIndex - 1 + slides.length) % slides.length; showSlide(currentIndex); } function nextTestimonial() { currentIndex = (currentIndex + 1) % slides.length; showSlide(currentIndex); }

Where To Buy

Click below to explore your options.

Meet Rebecca.

Welcome to the worlds

inside my head...

I write stories where history leaves fingerprints, secrets linger, and ordinary people are forced to confront what others tried to bury. Through the Hartwell Saga and the darker paths of Shadow Hartwell, I explore memory, inheritance, and the truths that refuse to disappear.

My Other Obsessions

and

Follow Me on Etsy

FAQs

If you don't see the answer to your question here, feel free to email me!

Book FAQ
Begin with The Bones of Blackwater, the first novel in the Hartwell Saga. Each book uncovers another chapter of Hartwell’s past while continuing Nora Hale’s present-day story.
The Bones of Blackwater is available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook editions.
Nora Hale will return in The Children of St. Agatha’s, the next novel in the Hartwell Saga. A darker parallel version, The Shadow Children of St. Agatha’s, is also in development.
I write atmospheric historical mysteries that blend dual timelines, forensic investigation, complicated families, and secrets the past refuses to keep buried.
Signed copies are available through my author website and at select appearances and book events, while supplies last.
const items = document.querySelectorAll(".faq-item"); items.forEach((item) => { const button = item.querySelector(".faq-question"); button.addEventListener("click", () => { const isOpen = item.classList.toggle("active"); button.setAttribute("aria-expanded", isOpen); }); });

With each story,
I hope to stir the heart, to challenge the mind,
and to leave something behind.

CHOOSE YOUR BLACKWATER BOOKMARK

Meet the characters of The Bones of Blackwater
and choose your favorite bookmark.

Each design features a character from the novel, along with artwork and details inspired by the world of Hartwell and the Blackwater Bootworks.

Some books will entertain. Some will haunt you—in the best way.

“The setting felt vivid and alive, the dual timeline was handled beautifully, and I was equally invested in both storylines. A richly layered, immersive novel that pulls you completely into its world.”

—Amazon Customer

Ready to dive in?

Grab your copy now from these retailers.

“Compelling, haunting, and impossible to put down. Rebecca’s writing is gentle yet truthful, richly detailed, and deeply affecting—a captivating mystery that left me more aware and changed by the experience.”

—Morgaine B.

const text = [ "Rebecca A. Russell writes books where the past awakens, secrets endure, and stories linger long after the final page." ]; const container = document.getElementById('typewriter'); let lineIndex = 0; let charIndex = 0; function typeLine() { if (lineIndex < text.length) { if (charIndex < text[lineIndex].length) { container.innerHTML += text[lineIndex][charIndex]; charIndex++; setTimeout(typeLine, 100); } else { container.innerHTML += "
"; lineIndex++; charIndex = 0; setTimeout(typeLine, 200); } } } typeLine();

Welcome to my little corner of books—
where the past awakens, secrets endure,
and stories linger long after the final page.

This is where forgotten voices find their way home.

Rebecca A. Russell writes atmospheric stories in which the past is never entirely finished. Rooted in history, place, and buried memory, her work explores the fragile boundary between what is remembered, what is concealed, and what is inherited. Through dual timelines, family secrets, and mysteries that echo across generations, she invites readers to question what they believe, what history has shaped, and the foundations of what they stand for.

She has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, drawn to the places where recorded history gives way to silence, rumor, and unanswered questions. Her writing is shaped by a love of old houses, local legends, forgotten cemeteries, and the fragments of ordinary lives preserved in maps, letters, artifacts, and family stories. Her characters—complicated, resilient, and deeply human—move between past and present, searching for truth in places where memory and history do not always agree.When she is not writing, Rebecca can often be found exploring, sewing garments inspired by earlier eras, or spending time with her family. With every book, she hopes to create a story that draws readers into a compelling mystery while also asking them to reconsider what they believe, what the past has shaped, and what they might have done in another person’s place.

- RAR

What I'm currently reading...

Facts about me ⸱ Facts about me ⸱ Facts about me

Facts About Me
FACT #1 +
The Bones of Blackwater is the first novel in the Hartwell Saga. Each book uncovers a different chapter of Hartwell’s past while continuing Nora Hale’s present-day story.
FACT #2 +
The Bones of Blackwater is available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook editions. Signed copies may also be available directly through my website or at author events.
FACT #3 +
The next Hartwell Saga novel, The Children of St. Agatha’s, is currently in development, along with its darker parallel novel, The Shadow Children of St. Agatha’s.
FACT #4 +
My novels blend historical fiction, mystery, family secrets, and forensic investigation. They contain unsettling subject matter and emotional intensity, but they are not romance or explicit fiction.
const items = document.querySelectorAll('.faq-item'); items.forEach(item => { item.addEventListener('click', () => { item.classList.toggle('active'); }); });

Follow Me on Social Media!

Come meet me!
Live & In Print.

DateLocationEvent Type
June 6, 2026Stillwater Days, Stillwater, NJSigning & Q&A
June 7, 2026Pennyrose Cafe, Newton, NJOfficial Book Launch!
June 15th, 2026Sussex NJ LL Book ClubSigning & Meet-Up

These events are a chance to connect, ask questions, and share in the magic of storytelling.

Reach Out & Say Hello

I love hearing from readers, romantics, and fellow wild hearts. Whether you have questions, feedback, or just want to say hello, send your message below and I’ll get back to you soon.

- Rebecca A. Russell